BAWA Barks Back

BAWA Issued Statement on Current Status and Continuing Efforts on Behalf of Bali Dogs

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(10/20/2013)

Following the publication on Balidiscovery.com of BAWA Barks No More, Paula Hodgson on behalf of the Bali Street Dog Fund (Australia) and BAWA has written seeking to clarify a number of points.

Paula Hodgson’s Letter to Bali Update

I would like to correct impressions created by your 3 October article, BAWA Barks No More, sourced from Radar Bali.

While BAWA’s Ubud clinic has been forcibly closed, the Association continues to operate its 24/7 emergency hotline, its free animal rescue service (now restricted) and island-wide free animal care and disease control education programs in schools and villages.

Closure of the clinic has halted BAWA’s animal adoption program that was finding homes for 70 former street dogs every month. Adopted dogs were sterilized, vaccinated, socialized and presented in good condition to families who were educated to care for their new pets. Free follow-up care was provided.

Official action has deprived Balinese families of these free services. BAWA encourages the Balinese people who account for 60% of up to 40 calls a day to its hotline to keep calling +62- (0)811389004.
BAWA will continue to help – while, where and how it can.

The article reports that officers from 3 agencies and Gianyar Satpol PP closed the BAWA clinic and quotes Satpol’s Gede Daging, “Because there were so many violations committed by BAWA, we invited all these agencies to participate.”

The statement is misleading. BAWA had only recently been officially advised that it was operating without an Amdal – an environmental permit introduced only last year and of which the association was unaware.

BAWA’s application for an Amdal is in process. Most Bali businesses, including vet clinics, do not have an Amdal.

BAWA’s animal rescue activities have been severely curtailed in accordance with a regulation prohibiting the transport of animals across regency borders. The regulation was introduced specifically to prevent movement of animals from rabies-positive regencies to rabies-negative regencies. Now, all Bali regencies are rabies-positive and the regulation is redundant. At the very least, the authorities should urgently consider changing the restriction for animal ambulance transport.

The regulation means that people are breaking the law by taking their injured animals from Gianyar or Klungkung, regencies, for example, to veterinary clinics in Badung, where most of the clinics are. To take an injured animal to a quarantine clinic is far safer than leaving it on the street or beach.

Some officials in Bali seem determined to axe an association that for 7 years has provided free services to Bali’s animals, communities and industries such as tourism. Bali will suffer if common sense does not prevail.

Already, BAWA’s wide network of international supporters is outraged at what is widely viewed as a persecution campaign that disgraces the island.